St. Joseph, Cass to share equalization director

St. Joseph and Cass counties are poised to split the services of an equalization director.

By Jef RietsmaJournal Correspondent

They already share a Road Commission manager and a Department of Human Services director.

Now, St. Joseph and Cass counties are poised to split the services of an equalization director.

Members of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday agreed to the proposal; Cass County officials meet Thursday and are expected to give their endorsement then.

The matter was reviewed in detail at last week’s executive committee meeting and recapped Tuesday by Louis Csokasy, Cass County administrator. He said the concept is consistent with the state’s initiative to encourage collaboration among communities and governmental entities.

The plan was unanimously approved with little comment by commissioners.

Although she wasn’t in attendance, St. Joseph County equalization director Judy Nelson said by phone Tuesday night that she would take the position if it were offered, but she is under the impression her services are no longer wanted.

“I guess the fact that nobody ever said anything to me about this (proposal), and the first I became of aware of it was reading about it in the paper, why else would they be doing this without asking for my input?” Nelson said. “I feel I’ve done an excellent job, but, apparently, the commissioners don’t see it that way.”

Nelson, 66, has spent 17 of her 30-year career with the county as its equalization director. She is a part of a four-person staff and her current salary is $69,740 annually.

She is a Level 4 equalization director, an elite level that took her more than a year to secure in accordance with the State Tax Commission. By state law, St. Joseph County is required to have a Level 4 equalization director because of its amount of commercial and industrial value.

Commission chairman John Dobberteen said Nelson is welcome to apply for the position and she would be considered. Dobberteen acknowledged Nelson’s Level 4 credentials as impressive.

Meanwhile, Cass County has outsourced its equalization services with a Kalamazoo County company since 1998. Csokasy said the county is bringing the position in-house. He said with the hiring of an assistant and the anticipated shared salary expense of a department head, Cass County has set an allocation of about $147,000 toward the process.

A salary for the shared position was not established, although Nelson said it’s unlikely a Level 4 candidate would take the job for any less than what each county would pay for its own equalization director.

Administrators and personnel directors from both counties are expected to meet and — with the equalization director for Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties also present — interview candidates in mid-April. Target date to fill the position is May 6.

In response to a question posed by St. Joseph County commissioner Rick Shaffer, Csokasy said he would expect the candidate to split duties by days instead of by the hour.

He said designating Mondays and Wednesdays at one location, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the other and leaving Fridays open to where the need is greater is more effective than four hours daily at each location.

Csokasy was the first Road Commission manager to fill the dual role when the opportunity was created by St. Joseph and Cass counties in 2009. He took over the job of Cass County administrator last year, leaving Road Commission duties to Christopher Bolt.